


Dance With The Devil

by writing_regen



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Fluff and Angst, Gen, I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY, I mean, angsty, forgive me my children, i guess, i guess theres some fluff, im sorry, its angst, my friend made me sad, so im getting them back
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-09 16:08:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11672523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writing_regen/pseuds/writing_regen
Summary: Close your eyes, so many days go byEasy to find what's wrongHarder to find what's rightI believe in you, I can show you thatI can see right through all your empty liesI won't stay long, in this world so wrong





	1. Helpless And Left For Dead

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry, my friend made me sad with her angst and I had to retaliate.  
> Please forgive my sinful pride.  
> The first part isn't so bad though!

_Always in a moment of extreme danger things can be done which had previously been thought impossible_

* * *

 

He wasn’t sure how long it had been since he’d been thrown in this godforsaken cell, away from the one comfort - the one _person_ \- he could find solace in. Isolation did little to aid in the struggle to keep a tight hold on the tiny spark of hope in his chest. Matt found it was his ultimate downfall once interrogations had to turned into psychological horror sessions.

What felt like days had ticked by since Matt had last been called up. He wasn’t sure if the feeling in his chest was relief or building dread. As strange as it may seem, he had almost settled into a routine. The moments with the druids were always eerily similar if not the exact same. He’d be roughly dragged along the corridors - he’d long since learned to stop trying to fight it - and shoved into the same questioning room. And that’s how it would begin, with questions; questions about his family, what he remembered, and what he knew about ‘Voltron’ which, suffice to say was very little. Every time he answered their questions with a resigned negative in knowledge, the scene would shift. What the Druids showed him was always different and yet indescribably similar - so much so that he had mostly learned how to tell these depictions apart from his crumbling reality - although he’d never show it for fear of a terrible change.

It had been hard, at first, especially since their favorite addition in these hallucinations was his baby sister Katie. No matter how much time passed, something in his heart still ached every time he saw her. He wished so much to be back at home with her and his mother, to be with the shining star of their family through every step of her journey. On the flight to Kerberos, him and his dad had spent many a hour waxing about how far she would go in whatever she put her mind to. His only comfort throughout the various, widely ranged images the Druids cooked up was that it couldn’t have been real, no matter what his mind was screaming. Katie was back home, safe and sound, and not having to fight for her life or even think of the horrors that their romanticized space really held.

And yet, here he sat in his cell, practically quaking in terrified anticipation of what would come next. What he did not expect, no matter the ludicrous situation his growing anxiety came up with, was for the doors to swing open and another prisoner to be shoved in with him, spitting and fighting against the much larger Galra. Matt barely held back a snort, he knew that was a terrible idea, and the newcomer soon learned the same, tensing - but not making a sound - as electricity coursed through them. It was in that moment, harshly and maliciously lit with flickering light, that Matt noticed the newcomer was not wearing traditional prisoner clothing, instead they were garbed in green and white badly damaged armor, underlaid by a black jumpsuit.

Even as the guard stalked away, satisfied, the prisoner was still spitting insults and obscenities after him, rage dancing in their voice and stiff posture. It was only after the Galra had completely vanished from sight did they slump back, closing their eyes and sliding down the wall to curl up, hiding their face in their knees and a mess of caramel curls. The sight stirred sympathy and an aching familiarity as Matt watched them nurse at their side and left leg. He wasn’t sure what possessed him to scoot closer and place a gentle hand on their shoulder.

“Hey… it may not be alright right now. But it will be. At least you’re not on your own,” He soothed, digging deep into the dying well of his optimism.

The figure flinched at the sound of his voice and scrambled away as if burned. Seeing them look up at him with wide, cautiously hopeful honey eyes, the strong feeling of déjà vu he’d been feeling since they’d been dragged in clicked into place,

“Katie?” He breathed, scared to admit it to himself, scared to believe what his eyes were telling him as they’d told lies so many times before.

But in all of those she’d looked the same as how he’d left her two years ago, now, she was barely recognizable, with hair chopped short and eyes that were tired in a way he understood but would never wish on anyone, much less his baby sister. She looked like a warrior, and the sight caused just as much panic as it did a bone-deep relief.

It was a moment before Katie weakly echoed, “Matt?”

He didn’t get the chance to respond before his arms were full of a sobbing girl, clinging to him as though she were afraid he’d slip right through her fingers.

* * *

_Family is supposed to be our safe haven. Very often it's the place where we find the deepest heartache._


	2. Say Goodbye as We Dance With The Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Alright, and what’s the plan after that?”
> 
> “Fight like hell, grab a ship and make a break for it.” She stated matter-of-factly.
> 
> “Real nicely thought out.”
> 
> “I pride myself on contingencies, not the main plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unedited so any mistakes I'm sorry for but it's like midnight!

“Oh my god, oh my god, I - I never thought - it’s really you right?” Katie babbled into his shoulder, suddenly pulling back as if to scrutinize him through watering eyes.

Even as part of his brain still screamed not to trust what he was seeing, to avoid the inevitable hurt afterwards, he indulged himself and answered with an equally water grin, “Yeah baby bird, it’s me,” He confirmed, using an old family nickname and this time pulling her back into the hug. He’d address his still-present unease and panic at the fact that she was  _ here _ in the first place in a moment, For now, he was going to let himself have this. 

It was a long time before Matt reluctantly pulled back, regarding Katie carefully as she looked up at him and tilted her head, confused. 

“Matt? Wh-”

“What are you doing here?” He gestured largely with his arm to indicate a much wider range than just the prison cell.

Katie flushed, looking embarrassed after she got over her initial shock, “It’s a long story.” She mumbled, pointedly looking away from him.

“We’ve got time.” He countered.

He was not prepared for Katie’s head to snap up, filled with a fiery resolve, one he’d only seen when she was told she couldn’t do something.

“We  _ will _ have time - once I get you out of here.” She corrected brightly.

Before he could protest, she was already on her feet and pacing the length of the cell, limping slightly but seeming undeterred by the fact. As she drew closer to him on her third time around the cell, he was able to determine that she was muttering something about ‘Voltron’ and he inherently shuddered.

“You’re involved with them?” He questioned warily.

“I am one of them.” She stated shortly, not even looking back at him as she answered, and offering no further explanation. 

Matt violently pulled back, and instantly regret it when he saw the hurt on her face.

“Look, I’ll explain later, I promise. Just… trust little ol’ Katie-Kat, alright Mattie?” She placated.

His initial fear ebbed at the old nicknames and he nodded, and she soon went back to her pacing. Without warning, her gaze snapped to the ceiling and her face broke out into a grin. Following her gaze, Matt found a ventilation shaft, and couldn’t quite fathom why that was so exciting to her.

“Emotions and protests later, boost me up.” Katie instructed, eyes sparkling in that devious way that always spelled out trouble when they were kids. 

“And what exactly are you going to do once you're up there?” He challenged, suspicious.

“Uh, pull you up and get us out of here,  _ obviously _ . Come on, Matt! Trust me!” Katie huffed, looking up at him pleadingly.

Matt groaned, getting to his feet, “You know I could never resist your puppy eyes.” He complained, which elicited a cheer from the shorter of the two. 

With an exasperated sigh, Matt crouched down, allowing his younger sister to clamber onto his shoulders with ease. Even as young children, Katie had always been one to climb and cling to people like a baby koala. 

As he slowly straightened, there was a moment of silence before he heard Katie mumble, “Curse my short arms.” 

Matt suppressed a chuckle and reached up to grab her ankles as she carefully stood. He winced at the concentrated weight on his shoulders, but it didn’t take long to hear the movement of metal. 

Not long after was a hiss of, “Look out below!”

And before he could move there was a flash of silver by his face and the crash of the grate covering hitting the ground. 

“Whoops.” Katie mumbled, although she didn’t sound all that apologetic, and Matt was left looking worriedly over his shoulder to make sure no one was coming. 

It was strange and relieving to find the hallway silent and empty as Katie pulled herself up into the ceiling.  A part of him knew that someone must have heard the grating noise, but a larger part of him was desperate enough at the chance of escape to brush it off as a miracle. 

Shuffling over his head brought him back to reality, and he looked up to see Katie with her knees braced against the walls and leaning out to help him up. Matt allowed himself a smile as he grabbed onto her hands and pulled himself up. Once they were both safely hidden away in the vents he heard Katie mumble something under her breath, the only thing he was able to discern being, “too light for having stolen all the height between us.”

He grinned and leaned forward, “Jealous that I’m still taller than you?” He teased.

In response, Katie shot a look over her shoulder and huffed, “Oh shut it you beanstalk. You’re still short either way.”

“Then what does that say about you?”

“I’m simply fun-sized.” Katie concluded with a soft chuckle that warmed Matt’s heart - god he'd missed his family. 

They soon set off, crawling through the cramped spaces - in which his baby sister looked far too comfortable in. 

“Do you know where we’re going?” He asked after a long moment of concentrated silence. 

Katie jumped, cursing as her head hit the ceiling. He had to work to suppress a laugh as she rubbed her head with one hand. 

“I mean… kind of?” She finally answered after a moment.

“Oh, that’s reassuring.”

She sighed and clarified, “Well, look. If you listen for conversation and engines, you can find the hangar. We get there, we find the ships. It shouldn’t be all that crowded, since last I heard there was no need for fighters to be sent out.” 

Matt blinked, “And you know that because..?” He prompted.

Katie began crawling again as she answered, “The only real reason they send out fighters at this point is Voltron right? Well, Voltron can’t be here since I’m not with them, and there’s no way they got here that fast.”

Matt wasn’t sure which part of that statement disturbed him more, the fact that fighters being sent after his baby sister seemed to be a regular thing, or the fact that she was so casual about it. He didn’t have time to think about it more before Katie suddenly stopped, her posture stiff. He barely managed to stop before running into her.

“Get your butt out of my face.” He huffed.

“Get your face out of my butt.” She retorted, but it lacked her usual bite as she cautiously padded forward, dead silent and listening. 

“The next grate is when we’ll drop.” She finally informed after staying still for several moments. 

Matt nodded before realizing she couldn’t see him, “Alright, and what’s the plan after that?”

“Fight like hell, grab a ship and make a break for it.” She stated matter-of-factly.

“Real nicely thought out.”

“I pride myself on contingencies, not the main plan.” 

And with that, she crawled the last few feet, ending right in front of the grates, the sound of humming engines and scattered footsteps filtering from below. 

“On three, ok?” Katie asked.

“On three.” He repeated, reassuring both himself and her. 

“1.”

“2.”

“3!” They finished simultaneously.

At that moment, Katie kicked the grate out with surprising force from her awkward angle and dropped down to the floor below, Matt following close behind. Her hand hovered near hip, and a small, intricately shaped instrument popped out of a compartment in her armor. The moment she held it in her hand, a sharp edges blade crackled to life, spitting electricity and throwing shadows over her face that made her seem much older.

She winked, “If you’re fast it’s almost impossible to get this taken from you.’ She confided as the guarding sentries turned towards them, “Aw, look at them! They’re so cute. There’s only like twelve of them!” She cooed before leaping forward.

There was no way he was going to leave his baby sister to fight this alone, so grabbing a loose piece of metal as a makeshift shield/weapon, he leapt in after her, hoping for the best.  Katie may have been confident with the odds of 12:2, but Matt was less than pleased with their chances, He’d been in captivity for the past two years, and even before that had only ever learned basic self-defense at the Galaxy Garrison. From the corner of his eye he would occasionally see flashes of green and the flying silhouette of his sister, which even in that moment of panic and life-or-death  sparked a sense of pride within him. Ducking and spending more time behind his “shield” than attacking and helping out, he wondered on whether he was being a burden or not - but still, he’d rather have been doing what little good he could than standing off to the side letting Katie take the whole of the attack. 

He would come to regret that decision. 

There was  a perilous moment where the balance hung still, and then the fight seemed to shift in their favor and cautious elation filled his chest. That was, until more footsteps and backup came streaming in through the open hangar doors. The elation burst with a needle of terror. He was  **not** a combatant. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and took over his mind and fear. His body jerked on autopilot, and sounds faded into the background. Everything seemed eerily clear and calm, and that was the only reason he saw the bolt of purple burst towards his chest. 

It was a strange moment of peaceful clarity, when he realized there wasn’t enough time for him to move. A moment when he realized there was nothing he could do but accept it. And he was ok with that. A taste of freedom, a chance to see his sister, It was more than he thought he would die with just a day before, and it was enough for him to be at peace. 

A primal scream shattered the silence and before he could react there was a figure in front of him, small and lithe. And with a glowing hole through their abdomen. Everything came crashing down in that moment as he watched Katie - the shining star of his family, his baby sister and the kid genius who would listen to his rants from the Garrison over the phone every night - crumple into a heap in front of him. Suddenly, the remaining Galra didn’t matter as he fell to his knees in front of baby Katie-Kat, already speaking desperately as he gathered her into his arms, taking her hand in his own, taking reassurance in the tight grip he was given. 

“No, no, no, no. Katie, Katie you’ve gotta stay awake. Come on we’re almost there-” He stopped, his voice cracking and he buried his face in her hair, listening to the pained breathing coming from the child in his arms, 

A pained whimper ripped from her throat and she croaked out a very faint, “Matt…” 

“Please…” He murmured through tears, shoulders shaking. He bit back a sob as he helplessly heard the breathing grow more ragged.

He saw tears on his sister’s cheeks, and she looked so frightened - so afraid, and it pained him all the more to see how terrified and in pain she was. How young and vulnerable she looked, how she just  _ wasn’t ready _ . 

“Please… I-I know you’re strong enough to beat this. You found me, right? Come on Katie I’m right here, you can’t go now. You did it! Please just…” He trailed off at the same moment the heavy breaths, the only sound in the world for him, faded to silence, and the hand in his own went limp.

Matt felt his own breathing escalate until he was hyperventilating, and the edges of his vision faded to black until all he could see was his little sister in his arms, face slack and at peace, nothing like how it had been moments before. 

And then that faded too. 

And Matt woke up, eyes fluttering open to be greeted by wanted posters of the infamous Paladins of Voltron, and the figures of Druids flickering on the edges of his vision. Now, a sob tore from deep inside his chest, unbidden, as he threw himself forward against the restraints on his chair.

 

He really would need to get better at picking out the hallucinations.

* * *

 

_ “A dream is a place where a wish and a fear meet. When the wish and the fear exactly the same… we call that a nightmare.” ~ David Gregory Roberts.  _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im so sorry

**Author's Note:**

> Just you wait Natt this is all your fault


End file.
